WTTW TIP

This is a suggestion for Bill McCarter, president of Chicago's public TV station, WTTW.

When WTTW first began operations, all television was delivered to viewer via antenna transmittals. Today, most viewers get their service via cable.

Instead of tolerating the annoying interruptions of programming during pledge drives, or the potential influence of commercial advertisers on content, why not charge a subscription fee of $3 to $4 a month and make public TV a subscription service for cable customers? It's worth a try, and if subscriptions prove inadequate to cover expenses, the station can always go back to the current system to make up the shortfall.